Aero safety device.



W. H. LOWRY.

AERO SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.23, 1911.

1,037,943, Patentefi Sept. 10, 1912.

2 SHEETBBHEET 1.

W D 1 @O O 4% W. H. LOWRY. AERO SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23,1911.

1,037,943, Patented Sept. 10,1912.

2 SHEETS-QREET 2.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOWBY, .OF JACKSONVILLE; .FLOBIDAJ: I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept; 10,1912.

Appleatia flkd ianlllit 1911. Serial You 813,521.

Stateof Florida, have invented certain newand useful" Improvements in Aero Safety Devices; and I do hereby declare the follow- Li ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art te-which it appertainsto makeand use the same. a

This: invention rel ates to improvementsrin safety appliances for aerial vehicles, the primary obj ectof the invention being to provide means-for controlling the descent in case of accident. I

It has heretofore been: known to employ a parachute on-aerial vehicles, such as aeroplanes, but ithas been found in practice that these parachutes do not always promptl open orbecome distended, a feature whic renders their use, as, heretofore employed,

unreliable and unsatisfactory.

Incarry'ing out the present invention, it is aimed to overcome this objectionable feature s by providing means for automatically distending the lower edge, or open end, of the parachute, and at the same time releasing the parachute, so that the lower end is held rigidly-distended, and the flexible supporting surface will immediately take the air from beneath.v l

My invention is not restricted to the exact details shown and described, but for the purpose of disclosure, reference is bad to the accompanying drawings in which like charactors: the same. parts. in the sev eral views, and in which,

I Figure 1 shows my invention appliedto a bi-plane', the parachutes being shown in operative position, controllin the descent of "the machine; Fig. 2 is a simi ar view, showing the invention applied to a monoplane, in which construction of machine it is desirable'to have a single parachute-support- --ing the machine from a central position;

Fig. 3 isa plan view of a. bilane with the arachutesheld in their f0 ded position;

ig. 4'isi a vertical central sectional view, showing one structure for conta mmg and releasing the parachutes.

v 1 designates an acre 'lanegofia ny' Figs. 1 and 3.1119 type-be ;bi -plane. In this construction of machine,

y in ingfillustrafted ais a is arranged at opposite on. the to of the top plane, a parachute which is hel Fig. 4, one way consists of acell The - with a tank 14 containing compressed and provided with a suitable valve 15 for in any suitable way against displacement in its folded position. As shown in detail in- 3 containing a platform 4, providedwith an aperture 5, and movably supported onareslllentmember. shown as a coiledspring 6.

parachute 2 is anchored to this casing or casing through the cable 7, and when the parachute is in its folded position, it rests on a. movable platform 4:, which is forced down against the tension ofthe spring 6, the hinged cover 8 of the casing, being then swung over and latched bythe spring operated bolts 9.

These are mere details of structure,

and may be readily modified to suit conditions. The

:cover 8 1s closed against the action of the coiled spring 10.

The body or flexible skin of the parachute and. its stay lines, may be of any suitable construction, but the low er edge of the flexi-' ble skin is provided with an annular inflatable tube 11, communicating throu h the flexible tube 12and the piping 13, ig. 3, air

delivering the air-from the tank to the inflatable tube-11. The tank, the valve, and

the connections may be made of suitable materiahandit will be understood that the fiexibletube- 12 is of sufiicient len th that v there; will be no strain thereon w en the parachute is in its open position.

Any suitable means may be employed for operating the valve 15 and for simultaneously releasing the bolts 9. In the the bottom of the top plane connecting with the flexible tube 12, as shown in Fig. 4.

In the use of'a parachute with a monoplane, owing to the construction of the lat- 'ter,- the extensions being more or less un supported, the strain would ,be too eat if parachutes were-located at each "en of the machine, and in Fig.. 2, I have shown my invention applied centrall to the machine.

In operation-it will observed that should the machine get beyond control" by a corddrawings the valve is shown as provided. with a lever 01'. handle 16 which may be operated in any suitable way or. other. device, terminating 1n a position of the driver and start to descend, upon 0 crating the lever 16, the cables 17 shoot e bolts 9 for releasing the parachute, the same being shot upwardly and out of its casing by means of the spring operated platform 4. At the same time, valve 15 is opened and the compressed air rushes through the pipe-lines 13 and the flexible tube 12, immediately inflating the annular tube 11, and thereby opening the bottom of the parachute so that the web or body portion will immediately take the air; and it will be observed further that the, base of the arachute is held rigidly distended not only by the action of the air from beneath, but also by the pressure from the compressed air tank 14, the latter being in communication with the annular tubethe whole time the parachute is in operative position.

Having thus described my invention, the

particular features of novelty will now be pointed out more succinctly in the following claims 1. In an aerial vehicle, the combination of a tank containing fluid under pressure, a parachute anchored to said vehicle and rovided with an inflatable tupe around its edge, a conduit closed to the atmosphere and leading from said tube to said tank, a

valve controlling the admission of pressure fluid, from said tank to said .tube, means for detachably holding said parachute against displacement, and means for releasing said parachute and simultaneously opening said.

valve, substantiallyv as described.

2. The combination of anaerial vehicle, a tank'thereon for containing fluid under pressure, a parachute provided with an annular inflatable tube around its edge, a conduit between said annular tubing and said' tank, a valve controlling the fluid under pressure in said tank, latching means for detachably holding said parachute against displacement, and a cable connected at one end to said valve and at its other end connected to said latching means, and means for operating said valve for releasing said latching means and inflating said annular tubing, substantially, as described.

3. The combination of an aerial vehicle, a tank oarried thereby for containing fluid under pressure, a movable platform carried by saidvehicle, a parachute adapted to be folded upon said latform, said parachute being providedwlth an annular inflatable tube forming its base, latching means for holding said parachute and platform against displacement, means tending to force said platform and parachute upwardly against said latching means, a conduit between said inflatable tube and said tank, a valve interposed between said tank and conduit, means connected with said valve for releasing said latching means upon the movement of said valve, and

means for operating said valve to inflate said tube upon said parachute being released and shot upwardly, substantially as described.

4. In an aerial vehicle the combination of an inflatable safety appliance anchored to said vehicle, and means for releasably holding said appliance in an inoperative position on said vehicle, with a compressed fluid tank, a valve connection between said tank and said inflatable appliance, whereby the compressed fluid from the tank may be discharged into the inflatable appliance, and the latter thus inflated, and means whereby the valve of the fluid tank is o ened simultaneously with the releasing o the holding means of the safety appliance. r In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence oftwo witnesses. v

- WADE H. LOWRY.

Witnesses:

- M. L. MAEMEN, BENF. CONE. 

